It's not that game developers are indentured servants (with the potential exception of first party studios like Naughty Dog or Lionhead, owned by Sony and Microsoft respectively), it's that the console manufacturers give big piles of money to good game developers in return for platform exclusivity.
So it's basically a business case thing, and a matter of leverage. Big, successful studios - say, Rockstar, makers of GTA - have a very strong bargaining position, and they know they can sell lots of units on all platforms. Whereas a weaker developer might be happy to take a boatload of money for an exclusive, as it de-risks the development somewhat for them.
So it's basically a business case thing, and a matter of leverage. Big, successful studios - say, Rockstar, makers of GTA - have a very strong bargaining position, and they know they can sell lots of units on all platforms. Whereas a weaker developer might be happy to take a boatload of money for an exclusive, as it de-risks the development somewhat for them.